<p>I was just wondering if any of the home-schoolers here skipped a grade. I'm considering it for my younger one. Has skipping a grade been in the best interest of your child? Any experiences?</p>
<p>I'm not sure there's any point to it as a homeschooler. Your child could simply stay, legally speaking, in the regular grade even as s/he does advanced coursework. Skipping a grade seems to only have a point when one is stuck in a public school where being in the same grade means stagnating. It does not mean that for a homeschooler, so why skip?</p>
<p>My D1 (although not homeschooled) skipped 3rd grade. She was very mature for her age and quite tall, so it wasn't an issue fitting in w/older kids. It was an issue in HS, as her age precluded her from driving when the other kids did, etc. But I guess here's where even a homeschooler can be affected-she was not as emotionally prepared to leave home for college having just turned 17. She did great despite this somehow, and has thrived. It caught up to her again jr yr for some reason. She felt "too young" to be dealing with some things, but I think some of that was the thought of sr year around the corner and then the real world at barely 21. Also, her classmates are all legal to go to the campus bar, clubs etc, and she is not. I'm sure she will get around this somehow as well, I don't ask. But I do think it catches up with them a little emotionally when they are in college. Sometimes I really regret losing an entire year of her life at home with us, but at the time it was the best move. I wouldn't rush it. Just do what above poster said, accelerate the coursework, not the child's life. That's one nice thing about homeschooling, you have that option.</p>
<p>We considered having two different kids skip a grade but always ended up not doing so. With homeschooling, we can challenge the kids without skipping a grade -- you can have your sophomore do AP work, you can have a junior take a cc course. And giving the kids time to mature meants that they have so much more time do do 'outside" stuff -- volunteering, exploring, music, etc.</p>
<p>I've skipped a grade (not a homeschooler though). I haven't gone through any of that sentimental crap that nikrud's daughter has gone through though, but then again, nikrud's daughter is older than me. I've never felt too young to do anything that my peers could do. Driving isn't that big of a deal, I can just hitch rides from them. I'm more than happy to be independent and on my own for extended periods of time.</p>
<p>It really isn't that big of a deal unless you make it one.</p>
<p>The thing is that, with homeschooling, I don't see the point in skipping a grade. It may not be bad, but why is it good? What does it help?</p>
<p>Yeah, if I was homeschooling, I wouldn't see a point.</p>
<p>Sorry if this question is stupid, but are there really grades in homeschooling? You can pretty much finish everything early can't you?</p>
<p>Well, you can finish everything early -- or you can be involved in everything, working, volunteering, doing music, etc., and enter college a week before you turn 19, like my dd!</p>
<p>We are of the "go through high school slowly because there is so much to do outside school" mentality. There is no rush!</p>
<p>And between online AP courses and college classes taken at the nearby 4-year college, there is no shortage of great courses to take either!</p>
<p>skipping a grade in home school is a valid question.
neither i nor any cc will have anything to offer son after what will be 10th grade; he will have more credits than any one will accept - what to do with 15 yr old?</p>
<p>@ hifi: So what you're saying is that your son has enough credits to graduate high school, and he's only 15? Sorry if that's wrong; I'm just trying to understand your question.</p>
<p>@ Pearl: I got held back in 6th grade (my mom got real sick, so my schooling kind of went kaput), but I skipped kindergarten (started at 5 with 1st grade work) and 8th grade (started HS at 13, just graduated. :)) It hasn't been a problem for me so far.</p>
<p>I made sure my kids did not skip a grade since I had a terrible time myself socially as a result of being skipped. It is not that bad in early elementary school but it catches up with you. It's not fun being the youngest in a class.</p>
<p>hifi, If you are having problems teaching subjects you are not comfortable teaching, have you check out online classes? </p>
<p>Even though I have a degree in engineering, I have three younger kids and so have problems finding the time I need to really teach high school level courses. Dd has gone the online route for Latin 3 & 4, literature (for discussion), sciences, and some AP's. She has had some great online classes that provided her with motivation, discussion, and expertise that I cannot provide at home.</p>
<p>no but i started early (turned 5 in kindergarten)</p>
<p>at 15 son will have 12 AP - university is 4 hours away and i can't afford to live any closer - don't want to push him and he is not eager to leave home - i don't know what to do; no value in having him score 4 or better on a gazillion AP courses. maybe i'll move to another state.</p>
<p>I was homeschooled up through 7th grade, skipped 8th and went right to my freshman year of high school. It was probably the best educational decision I've ever made (the skipping and the going to public school).</p>
<p>Hifi, do you have any technical schools near you? In Georgia, they will pay for a technical school certificate or diploma - we have considered having our children earn one of these (for free, no less) while they are homeschooling. Although they fully intend to go on to university, this would give them a marketable skill so that they could work part time while in college (and possibly make more money than they could at another job). Many of the technical school classes will transfer (like English 101, etc...). It also could give them a leg up on a career choice (for instance, if they wanted to go to medical school, becoming an EMT or surgical technologist would be good experience). Just a thought.</p>
<p>My son skipped 6th grade because the curriculum we used was largely repetitive for 6th grade and he had a good grasp on the subjects already. He has excelled and will start classes at community college (dual enrollment) next fall at the age of 15. I would recommend that you make your decision based on your childs personality and interests. If your child is not being challenged at their current grade, and is fairly independent, then advancing to a more challenging level or AP classes is a reasonable step. If your child is very social and being in the same grade as peers is important, then I would either avoid this step or discuss it thoroughly with them before taking this step. Whatever you decide, enjoy every minute.</p>
<p>I too was in this situation. Because of medical reasons, I did not attend regular school from after Christmas break in the 8th grade until high school graduation. I was technically an independent study student in our school district's (excellent) hybrid homeschool program (<a href="http://www.pchs.k12.ca.us%5B/url%5D">www.pchs.k12.ca.us</a>). Anyways, I graduated at 16, was 17 when college started, and thus am always a year younger than my peers. This has only presented three problems that I can think of.
1) I couldn't sign any of the contracts at school by myself because my signature as a minor wasn't valid. A minor inconvenience.
2) Since I was a minor for my freshman year, and I won't even be 21 until after I graduate, many a times I have had to stay behind as my friends went to the bars or cigar bars. Small dent in my social life, thought it has saved me a lot of money :).
3) Finally, I hate having to explain why I am a year younger than my grade-level friends. Just because I graduated early doesn't mean that I'm a bookworm geek who thinks Calc 3 is a walk in the park. When people find out I am young, I have to get into a long conversation about my private medical issues (really no one's business) and my unique "high school" education. It's just a real ordeal so I do my best to avoid this conversation by hiding my age from most people. I even have "aged" myself by a year to a few people just to avoid going down this road. It's not that I am embarrased by my accomplishments at all. It's just that it's all a long story that I don't neccessarily feel like sharing with everyone. </p>
<p>Despite these things, I wouldn't have changed anything. High school blows, and college is amazing. I couldn't imagine being cooped-up in high school (or at home, in my case) for a fourth year of boring, required high school subjects. College is everything I hoped it would be, so I am so glad that my early graduation allowed me to attend all the sooner.</p>
<p>Oh, and I forgot to add that I also started attending a community college when I was 15. When I graduated from high school, I had over a semester of college completed, and now, I can actaully graduate from college early as well. Community college, in my opinion, is a far superior choice to the AP classes offered at high schools.</p>
<p>I skipped 3 grades because I was homeschooled earlier in life and as a result, I just graduated from high school at 15. I'm headed to MIT to start college next semester. </p>
<p>In making your decision, you have to realize that it really just depends on your child. For me, I feel that skipping grades was a step in the right direction. It provided me the mental challenge that I needed while not affecting other aspects of my life in a detrimental way. I get along fine with my (usually older) friends and have a fair social life. Age occasionally gets brought up but generally even I forget about it. In addition, I've had plenty of time to focus on extracurriclars and such. </p>
<p>Yes, I have occasionally met with opposition from school counselors, teachers, and certain students but such instances were usually resolvable.</p>
<p>Okay, Nevermore. Quit trying to gloss over the fact you skipped 3 grades--- because of being homeschooled. It might work except for the part about starting at MIT at 15. :) I can speak from experience because my son will be graduating soon with an associates degree at 14. He's not MIT material though and has no interest in going to an Ivy. </p>
<p>He also has met some opposition and while it wasn't pleasant he just worked through it. Most of the students and professors have been friendly and supportive. There were a few students that just brushed him off initially, but it wasn't a big deal.</p>